Drunk Driving Simulator

A mobile VR driving simulator that lets young drivers experience the dangers of impaired driving, safely and realistically.

Other cases

OneBonsai partnered with Responsible Young Drivers to design a mobile VR driving simulator that demonstrates the dangers of impaired driving to young people. The simulator combines a real steering wheel and immersive virtual environments filled with traffic, pedestrians, and road challenges, allowing participants to experience first-hand how alcohol or substances like laughing gas impact their reactions and decision-making. This engaging, realistic training tool has become a powerful way to raise awareness, promote safer behavior, and reduce road risks among young drivers.

Challenge

Raising Awareness of Impaired Driving Risks

Solution

A Realistic Impairment Simulation with a Mobile Driving Simulator

Approach

Bringing Realism to Mobile Simulation

Outcome

Enhanced Awareness and Behavioral Change

Challenge

Raising Awareness of Impaired Driving Risks

Road accidents caused by alcohol and substance use remain one of the biggest threats to young drivers. Traditional road safety education such as flyers, classroom talks, or even staged videos, often struggled to hold the attention of teenagers and young adults. While the message was important, it rarely created a lasting impact, as young drivers frequently underestimated just how severely alcohol or recreational substances impair reaction times, judgment, and coordination. The team at Responsible Young Drivers (RYD) needed a way to make these risks tangible, memorable, and personal, so that young participants would internalize the dangers of drunk or drugged driving before they experienced them in the real world.

“Young drivers don’t always realize how substances impair their reactions, and traditional road safety lessons weren’t getting through.”

Solution

A Realistic Impairment Simulation with a Mobile Driving Simulator

To tackle this challenge, we developed a fully immersive driving simulator that combines a real steering wheel, high-end visuals, and a detailed virtual environment filled with pedestrians, traffic, and all the typical road elements. This simulator is designed to be mobile so it can be transported to various locations. In it, participants can experience first-hand how drinking even a small amount or using substances like laughing gas affects their driving. This makes the risks incredibly tangible and memorable, giving young drivers a powerful lesson in a controlled, safe setting.

Approach

Bringing Realism to Mobile Simulation

The simulator was designed to be portable and event-ready, enabling deployment in schools, universities, road safety events, and community campaigns. The physical steering wheel and pedals provided tactile realism, while the VR visuals immersed participants in highly dynamic traffic scenarios. Each session was short but impactful, designed to grab attention and leave a lasting impression. The simulator was built to be scalable and flexible, so it could be used repeatedly by large groups of participants in a single day. By combining engaging gameplay elements with serious safety lessons, the approach made road safety education both memorable and effective.

“It felt so real, I never realized how much alcohol could slow down my reactions until I tried this.”

Outcome

The VR simulator quickly became one of RYD’s most effective awareness tools. Young drivers reported that the experience made them rethink their assumptions about “just a few drinks” or “minor” substance use before driving. The immersive crash sequences in particular left a strong emotional impact, reinforcing the dangers of impaired driving. Teachers and campaign organizers praised the simulator for engaging participants in ways traditional lectures could not. By creating a tool that was safe, repeatable, and highly engaging, OneBonsai and RYD helped shift perceptions among young drivers and contributed to promoting safer roads and communities.